I have a question good folks of the Dishonored thread. First off, I really want this game. Second off, I really want X COM as well. Third off, I a busted headset for my 360. Black Friday is coming up and all three of these, given their availability are up for grabs at a reduced price. Turtle Beach X12s are cheaper than the Wireless Headset I planned on getting. Dishonored is 25-30 depending on where you look and X COM is 25 from Walmart. I'm already getting Dead Island GOTY if Best Buy still has it on Saturday. I haven't checked anything on Fry's yet so I don't know about them.

What I ask you guys is if Dishonored is worthy of "first priority". I wanted this since it was announced but the headset throws off the whole thing.

I would buy it right now if it wasn't locked to a first-person perspective. I don't really care for first person and it seems like an especially ineffective choice for this particular game. The people who happen to wind up behind me deserve to have their awesome deaths seen as well.

Idk though, I might pick it up at the Black Friday thing. It looks like it would be worth $25 (at least) and I kinda feel like fighting a crowd this year, in game or not.

Nah, it won't really be like that. The store where I live has some kind of segmented schedule for the sales that night. Like one starts at 8 pm, another at midnight, something else in the wee hours of the morning and so on. Hopefully I find out in advance which time is for videogames, 'cause I don't plan on hanging around.

The first person perspective goes a long way to promote immersion in the awesome world of Dunwall and they do a great job of keeping you incredibly mobile and aware of your environment at all times, with blink, the smooth climbing mechanics, dark vision, and leaning (which I find myself missing now in other games). Though to be fair, I may be a bit biased, because I greatly prefer the first person perspective, especially in RPGs and other games with similar emphasis on immersion. This is still going strong as my game of the year.

Played it for a little while just now and so far it's a massive step back from Absolution. The stealth systems are nowhere near as advanced and the graphics seem almost last gen by comparison. Looking forward to unlocking the powers though, I'm sure they're the best part. As a matter of fact I think he starts with telekinesis, because I turned a valve wheel just now and his arms didn't even move.

The mere existence of a ethical mechanic seems a bit childish too, after the thought provoking ambiguity of 47's apparent value system. There was a popup that mentioned something about getting a darker ending if you kill people rather than merely subduing them. It's kind of neat that it affects the narrative but at the same time the thought process behind it seems unevolved. I'll be a bit disappointed if the permanent removal of Corvo's potential threats makes the character become "evil".

It's less of a good/evil system as it is a reflection on power and the possible abuse of said power. People have been misinterpreting the themes of the game since the first reviews pop up I think because they are used to these systems being binary good/evil. Everything Corvo does is inherently not good, even if his intentions are.

Played it for a little while just now and so far it's a massive step back from Absolution. The stealth systems are nowhere near as advanced and the graphics seem almost last gen by comparison. Looking forward to unlocking the powers though, I'm sure they're the best part. As a matter of fact I think he starts with telekinesis, because I turned a valve wheel just now and his arms didn't even move.

The mere existence of a ethical mechanic seems a bit childish too, after the thought provoking ambiguity of 47's apparent value system. There was a popup that mentioned something about getting a darker ending if you kill people rather than merely subduing them. It's kind of neat that it affects the narrative but at the same time the thought process behind it seems unevolved. I'll be a bit disappointed if the permanent removal of Corvo's potential threats makes the character become "evil".

Also, inb4 tears about me comparing the two games I played last.

People like to assume that it is a moral system and like to complain about how it seems like the game punishes you for going the more stylish and bad-ass route with the awesome powers they gave you. People are so used to the (dated) concept of good and bad endings as rewards and punishments for fulfilling certain arbitrary conditions that the idea that neither ending is inherently a reward while the other is the bad ending because you suck is foreign to them. These are not Silent Hill endings. Killing more people simply introduces more chaos in the city. More rats, more corpses, more weepers. And the other characters in the story are influenced by your violent nature (especially Emily), resulting in a significantly different final mission as well as several changes in the missions leading up to it. The game never implies that not killing is somehow morally superior to the alternative. In fact, it makes a point of indicating the many of the nonlethal assassination options are a worse fate than death (of particular note being the alternative for Lady Boyle). It doesn't treat wholesale slaughter lightly, but it doesn't pretend that ruining people's lives is exactly a perfect image of morality either.

As for the stealth mechanics. They are entirely different from Absolution's, so the comparison is pointless. Both are great stealth titles for different reasons. And the graphics are intentionally stylized to give the game a unique look. They don't need to be on the technical level of Absolution to serve their purpose.

Got this for $25 at walmart black friday. Who knew hordes of ghetto people fighting over dumb shit was insanely tolerable while drunk?

I did!

The other two posts are great too, forgive the lack of a detailed response. I just haven't played very much of the game yet. Looking forward to it now though.

~~~ updated, bitches ~~~

Finished it and found it overhyped. It's kinda good but nowhere near as good as people have made it out to be. I might not trade it just yet but those last few hours were especially miserable. It's basically a dumber, prettier Fallout. (and btw, that one girl with the hat has the same VA as Sunny Smiles)

And the "no moral judgment" argument fell completely apart when

Spoiler!

Samuel told Corvo that he didn't like how the guy had turned out, and fired a shot to warn the guards. At which point I shot him in the face. Why not? The chaos had been high since the first level anyway, with no way to reduce it. Plus who the fuck is Samuel to judge anyone -- he's the one who poisoned Corvo in the first place!

Furthermore, good ending is that everybody lives happily ever after. Bad ending is errybody gets eaten by rats. There's some other shit in between but your only real choice is A) be stealthy or B) cause the fucking plague. Whoo hoo.

Everything arglactable said. Seriously, you're doing shady things no matter how many people you kill/spare. I've played through several times now, and saw a new narative twist each time based on what my current chaos level, which side missions I had completed and which buildings I found a way into.

I thought the alternative that Slackjaw gives you to killing the Pendleton bros. was a much worse fate than Lady Boyle's.

Spoiler!

Having your tongue cut out and put to work in your own mine sounds like hell to me. I'd rather be physically intact and be kidnapped by a crazy person. Although both suck.